Alexander Robertson FRS (12 February 1896 – 9 February 1970) was a British chemist. He was awarded the

Davy Medal The Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a monetary gift, initially of £1000 (currently £2000). Re ...

in 1952 ''"In recognition of his researches into the chemistry of natural products, particularly the wide range of glycosides, bitter principles and colouring matters containing heterocyclic oxygen atoms".'' He is known for his organic chemistry research, particularly in the investigation of

natural product A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical s ...

Life

He grew up on a 63 acre Scottish farm and graduated from Turriff Higher Grade School in 1914. While he wanted to become a farmer, his family encouraged him to study science. He entered the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

in 1914 to study for a M.A. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served in the Special Brigade, Royal Engineers (1916) and in the 2nd Seaforth Highlanders (1917), achieving the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

before being discharged in 1918. He performed doctoral research with G. G. Henderson at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

(1922-1924). His thesis was titled "Studies on the

sabinene Sabinene is a natural bicyclic monoterpene with the molecular formula C10H16. It is isolated from the essential oils of a variety of plants including Marjoram, holm oak (''Quercus ilex'') and Norway spruce (''Picea abies''). It has a strained ...

series of

terpene Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n ≥ 2. Terpenes are major biosynthetic building blocks. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predomi ...

s" and published in 1924. He was awarded a Ph.D. During this time, he also helped advise Henderson's other students, including John Monteath Robertson. After completing his Ph.D., Robertson moved to the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

to work with

Robert Robinson (chemist) Sir Robert Robinson (13 September 1886 – 8 February 1975) was a British organic chemist and Nobel laureate recognised in 1947 for his research on plant dyestuffs (anthocyanins) and alkaloids. In 1947, he also received the Medal of Freedom ...

on a Rockefeller International Science Fellowship (1924-1926). He also traveled to

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

to work with

Fritz Pregl Fritz Pregl (; 3 September 1869 – 13 December 1930), was a Slovenian-Austrian chemist and physician from a mixed Slovene- German-speaking background. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1923 for making important contributions to quantitati ...

on microanalysis. He moved on to a position as Assistant Lecturer in Chemistry at

in 1926, where he contributed to "synthetic work on

anthocyanidin Anthocyanidins are common plant pigments, the aglycones of anthocyanins. They are based on the flavylium cation, an oxonium ion, with various groups substituent, substituted for its hydrogen atoms. They generally change color from red through p ...

and

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are solubility, water-soluble vacuole, vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart named a chemical compou ...

pigments, identification of

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

s of

morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...

and

strychnine Strychnine (, , American English, US chiefly ) is a highly toxicity, toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine, when inhaled, swallowed, ...

, and the Lapworth-Robinson electronic theory of organic reactions." He then moved to East London College (Queen Mary University of London) as a Reader in Chemistry (1928), and then as a Reader in Biochemistry at the

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public university, public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a constituent college, member institution of the University of London that specialises in public hea ...

(1930). In 1933 he became Professor and Health Harrison Chair in Organic Chemistry at

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

. He helped design new laboratory buildings and advocated for better facilities for students. He held a series of university posts, including Pro-Vice-Chancellor (1948-1953). Some of his notable trainees includ
Francis M. Dean
H. Gobind Khorana (1948), an
William Basil Whalley
(1952). He married Margaret Mitchell-Chapman in 1926. In 1957 he retired from academic life and pursued farming until his death in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Alexander 1896 births 1970 deaths British chemists Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of the University of Aberdeen

Life

Further reading

References